[Guest82]

I think they both realised that together they were bigger than individually and embraced their rivalry, becoming friends. Neither is as great without the other one and they both know this.

I am a boatovic fan, but the Fedal rivalry transcended sport.

Reckon Fed secretly hated him around 2009 though...after that AO final defeat.

 

[Guest82]

That’s pretty much it. The emotions are not just about them being friends - i think they are on good terms but it’s not like they’re close buddies.

I think the emotions are are more about what the other person represents:all that sweat and hard work, all the heart aches, and triumphs. They have a long shared history where they’ve pushed each other to the limit and sacrificed everything to outdo each other. But in the end, there’s enormous respect because they had a long epic rivalry that was always mutually respectful.
And for Nadal: he hasn’t retired yet, but I think he feels the end is very near now.

The friendship is definitely exaggerated. You would think they are best mates...

I guess they like and respect one another and have friendly chats every now and then.